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What is the difference between a Holochrome and a Chromium cover?

Started by Hello-migration,

25 posts in this topic

Hello-migration

Hello-migration

Posted
Posted

I know Bloodshot #1 featured the first "Chromium" comic book cover.

 

I've got a Razor: Metal and Flesh mini-comic that was packaged with Metal and Flesh Chromium Card Boxes.

 

I cannot tell if it is a Chromium Comic (Ratio was 1 in 5 Boxes)

or if it is a Holochrome Comic (Ratio was 1 in 10 Boxes.)

 

The cover is not rigid and the insides of the covers are silver colored foil.

 

Thanks for any help anyone may supply.

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Hello-migration

Hello-migration

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  • Author
Posted

Does this sound correct?

 

Chromium covers use heavier card stock and, although they may appear to have

some sort of texture embedded in them, are smooth to the touch. Ex. Bloodshot #1

 

Holochrome covers are simply thin foil covers, the backs of which are always silver. Ex. Ninjak #1

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slym2none

slym2none

Posted
Posted
Does this sound correct?

 

Chromium covers use heavier card stock and, although they may appear to have

some sort of texture embedded in them, are smooth to the touch. Ex. Bloodshot #1

 

Holochrome covers are simply thin foil covers, the backs of which are always silver. Ex. Ninjak #1

 

No, those are both chromium. The Bloodshot example is a chromium "plate" attached to the cardstock cover. Ninjak #1 (and Bloodshot #0, X-O #0, etc.) are all chromium. Holochrome is like the very first Venom LS cover, or the WildC.A.T.S #2 (direct) cover.

 

 

 

-slym

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Chespirito

Chespirito

Posted
Posted

Stupid ..in between question.. With all this chrome talk..

 

How does the Spiderman 300 DF Chrome copy look like? I remember it seeing it on a UK listing one time..haven't seen it since, is there anything cool about it?

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gaz973

gaz973

Posted
Posted
Man this thread is going to mess up all my future vanity searches doh!

 

:roflmao:

 

Maybe you should change your name. How about nickel, copper or lead? (shrug)

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chromium

chromium

Posted
Posted
Man this thread is going to mess up all my future vanity searches doh!

 

:roflmao:

 

Maybe you should change your name. How about nickel, copper or lead? (shrug)

 

Or Sapphire or Steel hm

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gaz973

gaz973

Posted
Posted
Man this thread is going to mess up all my future vanity searches doh!

 

:roflmao:

 

Maybe you should change your name. How about nickel, copper or lead? (shrug)

 

Or Sapphire or Steel hm

 

(worship)

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
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Wow.

 

Ok, here's the "real" answer: nobody really knows what a real "holochrome" is, because publishers have never used it consistently, and have used the same word to refer to totally different products.

 

Chromium is the easiest. It is simply plastic material, two ply, with a clear plastic overlay adhered to a textured silver colored plastic underlayer. The artwork is printed on the the back of the clear overlay, with any "silver" parts (as in the case of Bloodshot #0's logo) being left blank to "show through." It is the silver textured underlayer which gives it the name "chromium"...there is no actual metal content other than naturally occurring trace amounts.

 

Ninjak #1, Bloodshot #1, Lady Death #1, Superman #82, Gen 13 #1 jigsaw variant, Danger Girl #1 Chromium A Go-Go....all examples of "straight" chromium covers.

 

Now....several publishers have used "holochrome" to refer to "holographic" effects. An example would be Fathom #12. It has a holographic "effect" layer printed on a regular cardboard stock cover. The inside cover is plain ol' cardboard stock. CGC calls it "holochrome." Other examples would be Stone #1, Crimson #2, Battlechasers #2, Star Wars Prelude to Rebellion #1-6, etc.

 

However...."holochrome" has also been used to refer to CHROMIUM books that have a shimmery "rainbow" holograph layer underneath the clear plastic layer, instead of a regular silver layer, either by itself, or in a pattern, such as plaid. It's difficult to tell the difference just looking at the front covers sometimes, but if you open the book and look at the interior covers, if you see a holographic rainbow effect, it's a holochrome. Examples of this would be Vampirella Monthly #7 (Vampirella/Shi) which has a regular chromium and a holoplaid version, Darkness #11 (regular, holochrome AND holoplaid, if you can believe it), Vampirella #12, (both), Ninjak #1 Gold (which, by the way, is the only Valiant comic with this effect) etc.

 

This has also been referred to as "holofoil", though that's probably better suited to the foil printed on the cardstock covers mentioned above (Wildcats #2, for example.)

 

Trivia: does anyone know what was the very FIRST comic book to have a completely chromium cover?

 

 

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted
I know Bloodshot #1 featured the first "Chromium" comic book cover.

 

I've got a Razor: Metal and Flesh mini-comic that was packaged with Metal and Flesh Chromium Card Boxes.

 

I cannot tell if it is a Chromium Comic (Ratio was 1 in 5 Boxes)

or if it is a Holochrome Comic (Ratio was 1 in 10 Boxes.)

 

The cover is not rigid and the insides of the covers are silver colored foil.

 

Thanks for any help anyone may supply.

 

If the insides of the covers are silver, chances are you have a plain ol' chromium.

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